Ashwin looks to form spin troika

R Ashwin, the India off-spinner, who skipped the tour of Zimbabwe and watched Amit Mishra create magic said he would like to forge a partnership with the leg-spinner and Ravindra Jadeja. Mishra, picked up a record 18 wickets from the five ODIs as India trounced the Africans 5-0 while Jadeja was as wily as he has been all year.

The recent upsurge of spinners seems to augur well for India, especially with the experienced Harbhajan Singh far from the fray. Ashwin, who has been on a break since July 11 when India defeated Sri Lanka in a thrilling tri-series final in the West Indies, is excited with Mishra's sensational comeback and hoped three spinners could bowl in tandem for India.

"They are quality cricketers and it's good to see that they are all performing. Jadeja has done well in the recent past and I have a lot of respect for Mishy. He is a good leg-spinner, has been around for a while, and I hope we all do well together," Ashwin told the Times of India.

Even as India pounded the Zimbabweans and the A teams completed a successful tour of South Africa, Ashwin, a senior in the national team used the time to unwind and prepare for what will be yet another long season. He will be back playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League next month before Australia come visiting for a limited overs series in October. However, the most important tour of the year will commence when the Indians travel to South Africa in November but Ashwin does not want to look that far ahead.

Ashwin will also have to bury the ghosts of a disastrous Australian tour where he managed only 10 wickets from three Tests and prove his worth in foreign conditions where the pitches do not assist slower bowlers nor do cracks appear dramatically to help the ball spin and bounce.

"It was a much-needed break and I spent some quality time with the family. It's been just a couple of weeks that I am back on the field, trying to get some playing time before the real action starts. But yes, in this break, I did watch a bit of Ashes. Jimmy Anderson was quite fantastic, and so was Graeme Swann.Yes, 10 wickets from three Tests that I played in Australia didn't meet my expectations. But as you know, cricket is more about the situation, how the match is placed at that point of time...And if you ask me about South Africa now, I would say it's a little too early, there are three months still to go. Right now, I would like to do well in the Champions League T20 for CSK and then look ahead," Ashwin said.

Ashwin of course has a lot to look forward to this season. He stands on the cusp of history, having taken 92 wickets from 16 Tests and he is in line to break Erapalli Prasanna's record of being the fastest Indian to 100 wickets. Prasanna had taken 20 and Ashwin has three more Tests to go there, one match shy of the iconic off-spinner but the Tamil Nadu lad confessed he does not get influenced my numbers and records.

"I have never been a numbers man. It's not my aim for the season to break that record, my aim is to bowl to the best of my potential. If in the process, the record happens, yes, I will be happy."